Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bra and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,340 a month against $1,544 in Bra, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Bra despite lower rent and utilities.

75

Cost of Living Index in Bra
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Bra Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Bra

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,544

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bra and in Bucharest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bra and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,544 in Bra versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Bra $1,544
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,240 in Bra versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Bra $2,240
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,936 in Bra versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Bra $2,936
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Bra is roughly 15% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bra is 14% above, Bucharest is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.77 €20.25

$14.49 RON 68.6

57.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.73 €34.45

$58.1 RON 275

-33.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 €9.73

$7.48 RON 35.40

46.26%

Cappuccino

$1.74 €1.55

$3.44 RON 16.29

-49.42%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 €3.33

$2.37 RON 11.22

58.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.30 RON 10.88

-26.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.92

$3.70 RON 17.51

49.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.03

$4.16 RON 19.69

8.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.67 RON 7.90

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 €2.28

$1.37 RON 6.50

87.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.72 RON 8.14

50.58%

Eggs

$3.25 €2.89

$3.64 RON 17.22

-10.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 €11.55

$9.08 RON 42.98

43.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.54 €10.27

$6.84 RON 32.35

68.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.67 €16.61

$12.00 RON 56.8

55.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.23 RON 5.80

79.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.63 RON 7.73

33.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.94

$1.57 RON 7.45

39.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.96

$2.54 RON 12.01

30.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.79 RON 3.75

116.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$0.77 RON 3.66

119.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.87 RON 4.13

26.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.99 RON 4.70

-42.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.31 RON 29.86

3.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.99 €5.32

$6.20 RON 29.34

-3.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.19 RON 5.63

37.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.57 RON 7.45

41.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.86 RON 4.08

98.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.74 €39.80

$21.10 RON 99.8

112.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 €6.98

$0.64 RON 3.05

1126.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.29 €2.03

$0.60 RON 2.86

281.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.11 €9.88

$6.43 RON 30.43

72.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.96 RON 9.25

6.12%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.4K €23.5K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

-8.84%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$29.8K €26.5K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

11.90%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$111 €98.8

$196 RON 927

-43.33%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.10 €8.98

$8.04 RON 38.04

25.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.41 €25.27

$9.35 RON 44.21

203.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.3 €70.5

$50.2 RON 238

57.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$9.02 €8.02

$8.15 RON 38.55

10.67%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$113 €100

$628 RON 2,971

-82.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K €16.4K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

31.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.6

$89.6 RON 424

13.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 €44.86

$38.32 RON 181

31.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$79.3 RON 375

44.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$90.4 RON 428

46.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 €584

$678 RON 3,209

-3.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$440 €391

$448 RON 2,121

-1.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 €492

$1,083 RON 5,125

-48.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$502 €446

$725 RON 3,430

-30.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

6.75

-54.07%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bra: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bra

$440 28.5%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 1.9% $8.3

Groceries & Markets

Bra

$312 20.2%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 27.9% $87

Eating Out

Bra

$294 19.1%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 23.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Bra

$180 11.6%

Bucharest

$134 10% 25.5% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bra

$150 9.7%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 42.6% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Bra

$97 6.3%

Bucharest

$67 5% 31.6% $31

Getting Around

Bra

$71 4.6%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 60.2% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $656 in Bra and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Bra vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Bra

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

03:46 3:46 AM

1 h ahead of Bra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,224

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bra Bucharest 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bra
Bucharest

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bra vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Bra. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bucharest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,316 in Bra and $2,011 in Bucharest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $656 in Bra versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $113 in Bra versus $628 in Bucharest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Bra. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,340 in Bucharest versus $1,544 in Bra, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Bra. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bucharest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,340 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bucharest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bra and Bucharest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Bra. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.